Summer campaign is expensive and short

Bangalore, April 23: Elections are expensive and despite statutory ceiling on the expenditure, the candidates are forced to spend crores to win polls in India. Now, the candidates in Karnataka are being made to shell out extra to ensure crowd at their meeting. The voting is on May 5.

Due to hot summer, the public meeting are being held under shamiana or pandals. During good weather meetings used to be held in the open but not this summer. The candidates have to put up pandals and also spend few hundred rupees to arrange for water for the public. Sometimes even cool drinks are offered.

The hot weather also means change of campaign style. The candidates either start early or hold meeting and padyatras during cooler evenings. This has in effect reduced the number of hours of campaigning.

It is either breakfast meetings or after sunset when people are ready to unwind and more receptive to listen to them.

Maridevaru, Congress candidate from Ramanagara segment who is taking on former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, prefers door-to-door campaign till late night and conducts group meetings in the morning hours.

Ashwath Narayan's former party member and ex-minister Shobha Karandlaje of Karnataka Janata Party, finishes her door-to-door campaign by 11 am in Rajajinagar. She resumes campaign after 4 pm and goes on till late night.

L D Ravi, the Congress candidate contesting from Melukote, campaigning starts at 6 am. Like Ravi, hundreds of candidates begin early for the elections, whose outcome is still open with no wave